


Everything I’m Not

by ByTheAngell (SomeLittleInfamy)



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Gen, reverse verse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-19
Updated: 2020-03-19
Packaged: 2021-03-01 02:40:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,296
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23217904
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SomeLittleInfamy/pseuds/ByTheAngell
Summary: Jace grew up entirely mundane, unaware of the powers he possessed. Clary’s childhood was one of strict Shadowhunter training. When their paths cross it’s a twist of fate that neither are prepared for.
Relationships: Clary Fray & Alec Lightwood, Clary Fray & Isabelle Lightwood, Clary Fray & Jace Wayland, Simon Lewis & Jace Wayland
Comments: 10
Kudos: 35
Collections: SHBingo





	Everything I’m Not

**Author's Note:**

> For my Shadowhunters Bingo square: Reverse Verse (loosely adapted to reverse Jace and Clary and which of them grew up Mundane)

They were meant to die in a vampire raid gone wrong - at least, that’s what Valentine set up for Stephen and Céline Herondale when he got wind that the couple wanted out of the Circle. And they allowed him, and the rest of the Shadow World, to think that he had. Stephen and Céline - and their unborn child - went into hiding with the help of Magnus Bane, and shortly after their child was born.

A boy. They named him Jonathan, and as far as he knew for his entire life up until the day he turned 18, he was completely and entirely mundane.

\---

Clarissa Fairchild had a difficult childhood. Her father died before she was born, her mother shortly after giving birth. She was taken in and raised by Michael Wayland (or, at least a man claiming to be Michael Wayland, not that Clary knew any better) - a cold and cruel life of acknowledging her many weaknesses and overcoming them, no matter what the cost. She loved him, because he was all she had, and she thought he loved her too in his own twisted way. After all, he was just trying to make her the best version of herself possible, and she was always eager to please, to prove herself worthy of being taken in at all.

When he died she was taken in by the Lightwoods at the New York Institute. For a while she kept her guard up, always careful to keep everyone else at a distance, to never step a toe out of line, to sacrifice food and rest for training and improving whenever she felt herself slipping. It took a while for her to allow Isabelle and Alec in, and even longer to start looking at the Lightwoods as her family, and not just as people tasked with putting up with her.

\---

Jace’s parents were being weird all day, and it was the biggest relief in the world when Simon showed up at his door just in time to pull him away from the awkward cringe-fest that his mother had going on over the fact that he was turning 18.

“What was all that back there?” Simona asks the moment they’re outside, with Jace hopping into the passenger seat of the van he and Simon used mainly for gigs. ‘ _It’s your birthday,’_ Simon told him earlier that day, ‘ _And I’m picking you up to go out, not making you take the bus like some heathen._ ’

It’s more than enough that Simon even agrees to go to Pandemonium with him - Jace knows he hates the place, but after a week of practicing classical music over, and over, and over again for his upcoming piano recital, all Jace wants are a few drinks and some mindless techno music.

He and Simon are getting out the van when a girl bumps into him. She’s gorgeous - it’s the first thing he notices because he’s only human and he has _eyes_ \- though it’s quickly overridden by the way the girl doesn’t even falter in her step even though _she_ ran into _him._ Rude fucking New Yorkers.

He should probably let it go but hell, it’s his birthday and he gets to act a little extra entitled today if he wants to, right?

“Hey, can you watch where you’re going?” Jace snaps, spinning to face the girl. He expects her to roll her eyes, or ignore him entirely, but when she turns to face him it’s with a confused pinch of her eyebrows. He now notes that she has a lot of tattoos, and fully processes the amount of leather she’s wearing.

“You can see me?” She asks.

“Yes?” Jace says back, the word more a question than an answer. Why is _everyone_ being so weird today?!

“You shouldn’t be able to see me,” the girl states as if that should somehow clear everything up.

“Sorry invisibility cloaks don’t really exist?” Jace offers, not quite sure what to say to someone who thinks they’re meant to be invisible. Clearly, this girl is on some sort of drugs or something.

“What?” The girl asks, like she has any right to be the confused one in this encounter. Jace is about to point that out when someone shouts “Clary!” from a few feet away, and the girl frowns before turning and running off without another word.

“What a weird girl,” Jace mutters when he goes back to where Simon stands at the back of the van waiting for him.

“What girl?” Simon asks. “You were just, like, standing there talking to yourself.”

“The redhead with all the tattoos, dressed in an unfair amount of leather?” Jace says, glancing back to where he can see the last flash of her fiery hair disappearing into the crowd.

“Sorry, bud. No redheads. What was in your latte earlier?” Simon laughs, but it’s a nervous laugh, and as much as Jace wants to press this he also doesn’t want Simon to think he’s going crazy.

Jace already thinks that enough for both of them just then.

“Never mind, let’s just go,” Jace says quickly, putting on his usual casual smirk before heading off towards the entrance.

\---

When Isabelle agreed to be her Parabatai it was one of the happiest moments of Clary’s life, because she knew she finally had a place in this world, someone who loved her, someone who wasn’t just keeping her around until she became inconvenient. After that sticking with her and Alec wasn’t even a question. They spent their free time together, took meals together, trained together, and went on missions together.

Missions like the one they are currently on.

When she brushes shoulders with a guy to her left she doesn’t think twice about it - he can’t see her, and he’ll do that amusing thing mundanes do when she isn’t paying attention to where she’s going and sort of spin around in a confused circle when he can’t see anyone around, and as much as she usually enjoys watching that bit she has to stay focused. They’re on mission after all, and-

“Hey, can you watch where you’re going?”

-and then everything turns on its head.

The boy can see her. He shouldn’t be able to see her. Judging by the looks the blond’s friend with the glasses gives him while he talks to Clary, _that guy_ can’t see her, and clearly thinks his friend is going crazy. Which is good. Well, not good, but better than _two_ people with the sight she’s never seen before in New York.

So just the blonde one, then. Who is he? Why doesn’t she know his name or anything about him? He doesn’t have any visible runes, doesn’t really have the look of a Seelie… vampire, maybe? He looks like he’d make a good 90s

“Clary!” Isabelle shouts from a few feet away once she notices Clary missing by her side, and Clary turns and runs off without another word.

Mission first. Mysterious Blond guy later.

“What was all that about?” Izzy asks, glancing behind Clary who chances a glance backward to see the boy still staring at her.

“Nothing,” Clary dismisses easily enough. “Let’s go.”

\---

Clary plans on tracking down the blonde boy with the Sight later, if she remembers and her curiosity is strong enough.

Jace has a much more advanced timeline for their second encounter, following her into the room with the shapeshifter.

It’s the first time Jace blindly follows her into a dangerous situation, the first time Clary protects him without a second thought, the first time they start to realize that the other’s existence in their life is a _serious_ complication… but it’s far from the last for any of those things, too.

They’re also about to realize that they wouldn’t have it any other way.

**Author's Note:**

> (Find me on [Tumblr](http://bytheangell.tumblr.com) and also on [Twitter](http://www.twitter.com/By_The_Angell)! <3 )


End file.
